Floor Screeding And Underfloor Heating From Liquid Screed

We are well-known as leading floor screeding contractors throughout England and Wales, and we provide a full floor preparation service from preparing the concrete substrate through to final sanding of the screed so that it is in perfect condition to receive whatever type of final flooring you are going to lay. We also install underfloor heating.

First of all, the concrete substrate must be cleared of any debris, and must be levelled off so that there are no high spots. If there are high spots, it affects the thickness of the floor screed. The building should also be windproof and watertight.

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The Reasons For Using Floor Screed In Berkshire

When constructing any form of flooring it is important that the final floor surface rests on something that is perfectly flat, because if it doesn’t the floor will not last very long. This is particularly true in the case of tiled floors as the tiles will crack if they are allowed to move. There are always imperfections in a concrete substrate, which will have dips and bumps in it, so whatever the final choice of flooring, you need to undertake proper floor preparation in Berkshire.

The correct procedure is to use a floor screed which can be laid in a number of ways. Traditionally, a sand and cement screed has been laid and this is trowelled into place by hand in order to make it as flat as possible. However, today, liquid screeds are being used more and more. They have several advantages over sand and cement screeds, not the least of which is the speed of laying.

Liquid screeds can be cement based or gypsum based, but either way they are delivered to site ready mixed and poured into place using a pump. Laying this type of screed can cover 100 square metres in 45 minutes, and up to 2,000 square metres in a day, saving a huge amount in labour costs over a sand and cement screed.

You might think that liquid screeds would take a long time to dry, but in fact they will be ready to walk on in 24 – 48 hours.

The screed can be bonded to the concrete substrate using a primer or it can be unbonded. In the latter case, a damp-proof membrane is laid on top of the concrete substrate before the screed is poured. Liquid screed is also excellent for use with underfloor heating since it makes 100% contact with the heating pipes and therefore ensures maximum transfer of heat.

When using anhydrite gypsum screed, a layer of laitance will form on the surface as the screed dries. Floor preparation in Berkshire needs to take account of this, as it is necessary to remove it by sanding before the final flooring is laid.

The Differences Between Sand And Cement Screeds And Liquid Screeds

Laying a floor screed is an important part of the process of producing the perfect finished floor because if you try to lay flooring direct on to the concrete substrate there can be all sorts of problems. This is true also in the case of precast concrete beam and block floors which can have a definite camber.

Traditionally, laying a floor screed in Chichester has been done using a mix of sand and cement which is hand trowelled to level it as far as possible. However, there are certain disadvantage with sand and cement screed, and this is now being rapidly overtaken by liquid screeds, some of which are cement based and others which are gypsum based. The latter are known also as anhydrite screeds, calcium sulphate screeds, flowing screeds, and floor compound.

The actual preparation of sand and cement screed used to be done – and still often is – on site using manual labour and a cement mixer. Inevitably the mix in each batch was a little different, and the labour involved is expensive. Today, ready mixed screeds with retardants added to delay the set are used more often.

However, floor compound in Chichester is being used much more today, as it comes ready mixed and is poured into place using a pump. Because it is in liquid form it is self-levelling and has great advantages when used in conjunction with underfloor heating because it completely covers the heating pipes and leaves no gaps, which is what almost inevitably happens with sand and cement screeds. That means that the heat in the room is spread evenly and there are no hot or cold spots.

Furthermore, floor compound in Chichester that is anhydrite based is inherently better at heat transfer than sand and cement screed, so it results in less energy being needed to produce the same amount of heat. In other words, a liquid screed has ongoing benefits for the environment because it needs less energy to run the heating.

In addition, liquid screeds can be laid very fast indeed. Some screeding teams can lay as much as 2,000 square metres in a day, saving a huge amount of labour.